Whitehorse Land for Sale to Undergo Zoning Changes

If you’re looking to purchase Whitehorse land for sale or any sort of Whitehorse home, you should be wary of the newly proposed zoning changes. In late February, city councillors voted unanimously in favour of new legislation that would affect zoning for the entire housing landscape in Whitehorse. This progressive move is an essential step in addressing the housing supply shortage in the city. Despite the unanimous support, City officials are eager to hear from the public to gauge their support of these potential changes. In this article, we will be going over everything you need to know about new zoning in Whitehorse and how you can provide your feedback to the city council. Follow along below to learn more!

All About the Proposed Zoning Changes to Whitehorse Land for Sale

On February 26th, 2024, councillors in Whitehorse gave a first reading to a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw. All officials voted in favour of these changes which would allow for new developments to occur on existing properties. As it is now, much of the land is only zoned to suit single-family detached dwellings. The lack of diversity in housing options has left many citizens without a place to live or struggling to afford the homes they have. 

New zoning changes would give developers the green light to start constructing more affordable housing types like duplexes, triplexes, townhomes and fourplexes. Beyond this, it would also provide more relaxed setback and parking regulations where additional units are provided. The proposed change would allow as many as four units per lot, especially in areas that are predominantly occupied by single-detached homes.

The newly proposed zoning would impact the housing lots classified as RCS, RCS2, RCS3, RD, RR, RS, or RS2. If you’re up-to-date with Whitehorse’s city zoning, you’d know that these zones cover the majority of the area. Moreover, most of them don’t presently allow for the construction of multiple units. With the new bylaws, most Whitehorse residents will be able to construct up to two additional units on the property. This can occur in the resident’s front or side yard. 

However, it’s worth noting that even with the successful approval of this bylaw, developers will still need to prove that the infrastructure on a given property can handle the additional units. Furthermore, previous rules surrounding the size of a person’s yard and parking spaces will be changed. As opposed to having a rear yard setback of at least 6 meters, the new minimum would be 3. Similarly, properties previously requiring a 3-meter setback would only require 1.5 meters. 

More Details and How to Provide Feedback

An engagement survey was released in Whitehorse in early February to gauge public opinions about current housing availability and zoning. In this survey, 40% of respondents found that the zoning bylaws were too restrictive. Another 30% indicated that the bylaws were challenging to interpret. When asked what types of housing were needed in Whitehorse, respondents overwhelmingly agreed that multi-unit developments were a must. Of those who took the survey, 65% mentioned apartments, 63% said living/garden suites, 50% noted triplexes/fourplexes, and 49% said rowhousing/townhouses. Another category that many Whitehorse residents thought was necessary, was supportive/accessible housing. These units would be for seniors, those facing addiction, transitional housing, and more.

Also within this survey, respondents were asked to provide their level of support for the City to explore the development of more housing options in existing neighbourhoods. The majority (43%), said that they strongly support this initiative, especially with regards to more units per lot. If you’re curious to learn more about the statistics produced from this survey, check out the round one engagement survey summary.

The city is eagerly seeking feedback from the public before they move forward with new bylaws. If you want to chime in on the latest about this initiative, you can do so in a variety of ways. For example, by writing an email to publicinput@whitehorse.ca. You can also ask questions in the forum called the zoning questions corner. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the issue on engagewhitehorse.ca to receive all of the latest information about the topic. 

Contact me Today About Whitehorse Land For Sale!

Staying up-to-date with these new bylaws is essential as a buyer or a seller! If you’re interested in learning more about how these bylaws will affect Whitehorse land for sale, contact me today. I’d be happy to help answer any questions you have about buying/selling a home. If you have any further inquiries about real estate in the area, please feel free to reach out to me! Be sure to check out my blog again next month for more exciting real estate content. I look forward to working with you in the near future!